RICHARD Huish Cricket Academy student Matt Golding will be hoping to make an impression when he plays for the Devon Lions against the Devon County XI at Axminster tomorrow (1pm).
Until this season the 17-year-old all-rounder has been in prolific form playing for Somerset League side North Curry CC, but for 2012 he has switched to Devon Premier Division side Bradninch.
Last season Golding, a right-handed batsman and useful leg-spinner, scored almost 500 runs at an average of 40.9 to help North Curry gain promotion to Division Two.
Golding who has played through the Devon age groups joined the Richard Huish Academy, where former Somerset favourite Keith Parsons is the main coach. During the winter he has been training with the Devon squad.
Parsons rates the young all-rounder very highly and said: 'Matt Golding has worked very hard on the Richard Huish Academy programme throughout the winter is going to play cricket for Bradninch this summer, which is a big move for him.
'He has been involved through the Devon age groups and went down for a trial for the full Devon side and has been working with them through the winter.
'For a lad who is still at college this is a huge achievement so congratulations to him.
'Matt has scored a lot of runs, and is a tall lad who also bowls leg spin, and a fantastic fielder. Hopefully he will get an opportunity for Devon early season in the one-day games.'
Devon: T S Anning (Exmouth), S R Benton (Paignton), C Bradley, R Bougourd (Bovey Tracey), L Bess (Sidmouth), R J Holman (Exeter), B G Huxtable (Exmouth), L J Lewis, P J Randerson (both Sidmouth), M W Thompson, N S Watkin (both Torquay), M J Wood (Cornwood).
Devon Lions: D J Bowser (North Devon), C Bryan (Paignton), M Curtis (North Devon), R Davies (Tavistock), M Golding (Bradninch), J S B Hall (Cornwood), W B R Murray (Sidmouth), M I J Plowman (Budleigh), E Rice (Budleigh), J P Richardson (Exeter), S Stein (Plymouth).